the Academy and was the ancestor of the Hon. Isaac Burpee,
who was minister of customs in the Mackenzie government, and of many
others of the name. His son, Jeremiah Burpee, lived beside him and a
grandson, David Burpee, was another neighbor.

It was not until some years after the organization of the church that
there was any settled minister on the St. John river and those
desirous of entering the holy estate of matrimony were obliged like
James Simonds to proceed to Massachusetts or to follow the example off
Gervas Say and Anna Russell, whose marriage is described in the
following unique document:--

"Maugerville, February 23, 1766.

"In the presence of Almighty God and this Congregation, Gervas Bay
and Anna Russell, inhabitants of the above said township enter
into marriage Covenant lawfully to dwell together in the fear of
God the remaining part of our lives, in order to perform all ye
duties necessary betwixt husband and wife as witness our hands.

Daniel Palmer, Gervas Say,
Fras. Peabody, Anna Say.
Saml. Whitney,
Richard Estey,
George Hayward,
David Palmer,
Edwd. Coye.

Gervas Say was one of the signers of the church covenant as also were
three of the witnesses, Richard Estey, Daniel Palmer, and Edward Coye,
and it may be assumed that the marriage was regarded as perfectly
proper under the circumstances and it is not improbable that, in the
absence of a minister, this was the ordinary mode of marriage. Gervas
Say was afterwards a magistrate of the county and a man of integrity,
ability and influence.

During the earlier years of the settlement at Maugerville there was no
resident minister, but the place was occasionally visited by a
clergyman. It is said that the first religious teacher there was a Mr.
Wellman who came to Maugerville with some of the first settlers but
did not remain. There is nothing to show that when the church covenant
was signed, in the year 1765, there was any resident minister. The
Reverend Thomas Wood of Annapolis, a Church of England clergyman,
visited the River St. John in the Summer of 1769, and on Sunday, July
9th, landed at Maugerville, where he held service and had a
congregation of more than two hundred persons. He stated in his report
to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, that owing to the
fact that the congregation was composed chiefly of Dissenters from New
England, and that they had a Dissenting